Signs and Wonders, Heresy, and Love for God

As I researched Todd Bentley and Bob Jones and the “Lakeland, Florida Revival” over the last several days it soon became apparent that the supporters of this are completely convinced that there is a legitimate “outpouring” from the Holy Spirit going on. They are vocal. They are adamant. The number one reason that these people become apologists for Todd and this movement, that I have seen, is the signs and wonders performed on stage supposedly by the Holy Spirit through Todd.

They believe that since people are genuinely healed then this is undeniable verification that this is legitimate. I read dozens of comments on various blogs today in which an apologist for Todd would suddenly appear within the discussion proclaiming in a very sincere tone that all of those pointing out Todd’s inconsistencies and lack of Gospel focus and the speaking of heresy are wrong. Why? Because people are healed miraculously through him.

My brethren we are called to ask God for wisdom and look at all ministers and ministries with discernment given to us by Him. Now, does the presence of signs and wonders prove that God is in something? Is it the marker that tells us all to declare that Todd Bentley is indeed a prophet of God? Please read the following article by John Piper in which he addresses this from The Word of God. – Mike Ratliff

Signs and Wonders, Heresy, and Love for God

By John Piper

March 26, 2008

Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies?

From the time of Moses to the end of history, this has been and will be an issue. Jesus promised that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). These are not little tricks. They are great signs and wonders. Great. But aimed to deceive.

Paul said that “the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). “Signs and wonders of falsehood” is a literal translation to show that the falseness of the signs and wonders is not that they aren’t real miracles, but that they lie about reality. They are real miracles, and they lead away from Christ.

Similarly, to the end of the history—especially at the end of history—false teaching and heresies will dog the church. “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4.3-4).

At the other end of history, things have been this way from the time of Moses. And it is Moses who answers our two questions: Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies? Here’s the key passage:

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, “Let us go after other gods,” which you have not known, “and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

Notice five things:

First, Moses tells us that signs and wonders in the service of heresy really happen. They are not tricks. “If a prophet . . . gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass. . . .” They really do come to pass. It is not smoke and mirrors. These are supernatural, but not in the service of truth.

Second, some miracle workers aim to draw believers away from the true God. “If he says, ‘Let us go after other gods . . .’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet.” In other words, some heresies (“let us go after other gods”) are endorsed with miraculous signs and wonders.

Third, God has a design in these deceptive signs and wonders, and he has purposes for the heresies they support. He mentions one of these designs and purposes: “For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” When temptation happens from man, a test is happening from God. This is God’s design in the deceptive signs and heresies.

Fourth, love for God is what God is testing. “Your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Fifth, I conclude from this that the heart that loves God sees through miraculous deception. Love for God is not based mainly on miraculous power. It is based on seeing through miraculous power to true divine beauty. Therefore, love for God is a powerful protection against heresy, even when it comes with miraculous confirmation.

Understanding these five things from Deuteronomy 13:1-3 helps protect us from deceptive signs and wonders and from heresies. But understanding is not enough. Love for God is both the aim of God’s testing and the means by which his tests are passed. Understanding awakens us to our need to love him. But love for God sees through deceptive signs and wonders to the falsehood they support and flees to Christ. Love for God sees through the heresy and holds fast to him. May God deepen our love to him so that it has this kind of penetrating, protecting power.

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20 thoughts on “Signs and Wonders, Heresy, and Love for God”

Bentley’s signs and wonders aren’t even good counterfeits. No one who has been verifiably/visibly crippled from birth has has gotten up and ran as if never cribbled. No one 4 days dead has been risen. The only healings are mostly psychosomatic. It seems to take very little to deceive.

George, as John Piper said, some have the discernment and wisdom to not be deceived. What is most troubling to me about Todd is his obvious association with that which is evil and is constant attempt to appear evil. Also, from what I have read so far, he never preaches the whole Gospel.

I don’t understand why these men who claim instant healing don’t just go to a doctor and have them examine them. When Jesus healed men, he told them to go to the authorities and have them examine them in order that they may know that he was not a fake.

These Woffers do the same thing. They are asked to have their victims (notice I said victims instead of patients) checked out by a doctor, and they refuse or ignore them. Benny Hinn has a long track record of refusing doctor’s orders. He wouldn’t want to compromise his money.

I have always wondered why there are so many odd yet global and bad Churches in Florida. Benny Hinn and now Bentley I think are both there.

I wonder if they do it to prey on all the retired money in Florida. The only other choice to believe is that they actually believe their own bad theology but I tend to think these are pretty smart people.

Exposing this deception is much needed and greatly appreciated, and the deception of this hour is only growing. I would like to address one thing in these comments. A twisting of the scripture or using scripture out of context is no less a deception than the obvious heresy. Pastor Scott made a comment that we know ‘them’ because the Spirit will bear witness with our spirit. The verse (Rom 8:16) is saying that the Spirit bears witness with “our” spirit that “we” are children of God. This speaks of our own standing, not others. There are repeated warnings telling us to beware of ‘false’ prophets, (wolves in sheeps clothing, they look like christians!), but none of these warnings tell us to look for a ‘witness’. We will know them by their fruits, the denial of Christ in the flesh, outright blasphemy, and of course, everything will line up with the scriptures. I write this to encourage you Scott, let us have an answer for our faith, and let us speak truth to one another that we all might be built up. In Him, Z. (Ref- Matt 7:15, 2Pet 2, 1John 4.)

I am EXTREMELY GLAD that you did not oppose the notion that the healings were real because it is impossible to substantiate one way or another. It is far better to point out that even if these healings and miracles are real so what … healings and miracles happen in other religions too. So does things like speaking in tongues … it is a big part of some strands of Hinduism. So when I get the Bentley defenders, I just point out witch doctors, voodoo priests, etc. in other religions, especially the animist and spiritist ones, and the stories from the mission field where missionaries have actually had to pray against and do spiritual battle against these people. Evil spirits are real, and in cultures and areas totally given over to the worship of evil spirits through these false religions they can exert not a little influence into the natural realm, enough to where it can actually emulate a miracle just like pharoah’s magicians were able to bring up frogs and turn the water into blood to emulate what God did through Moses. Using the example of what devil worshipers did in the Bible, the works that they did, with reference to Todd Bentley does make a fuller, more comprehensive Biblical case against the guy, especially in the event that some people come forward with an actual medically confirmed healing testimony.

It is so encouraging to see true brethren take an open stand to expose these heretical and satanic things of our day. One of the videos of Todd Bently over at CRN was one of the most horrific things I have ever seen. There is no doubt, not in the least, that this man is a child of the devil, as all are who do not know our Lord Jesus (1 John 3:10).

Thank you for suggesting the Justin Peters video. I had found his site a few days ago, but never got to see the video because I was at work, then I forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder. I saw it and it’s great.

Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. (Colossians 1:24-26 ESV)

The way of escape

"To believe that He will preserve us is, indeed, a means of preservation. God will certainly preserve us, and make a way of escape for us out of the temptation, should we fall. We are to pray for what God has already promised. Our requests are to be regulated by His promises and commands. Faith embraces the promises and so finds relief." - John Owen

How to be free from bondage to our flesh and temptation

"If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: 'God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.' When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage." - John Owen

Meta

About me

My name is Mike Ratliff. I am a δοῦλος (slave) of the Κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν (Lord Jesus Christ.) I have been a Bible teacher since the late 1980's. I am currently learning Koine Greek, which I began in 1992 and will continue to do so until the Lord takes me home. I am Reformed in my theology because I recognize that God is Sovereign over all things. I write these posts as God directs. I am also part of the discernment team at Christian Research Network.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT

by G. D. Watson

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.